October 23, 2007

When it comes to video resumes you get mixed results. Some people are so against it, and others think it’s brilliant. Well I happen to think the latter. If you are looking to stand out from the pack, get a great job, and be somebody, a video resume is key.

The funny thing, the video doesn’t necessarily have to be a resume. I found when I was researching this article, a lot of people made videos that had nothing to do with a resume.

Take Tracy Peterson. He’s a guy that made a video titled “How to get a Guy in Silicon Valley.” Now just from the name of the video we know it’s not a resume video. And yet the guy found success. Facebook liked his video so much they hired him to do some videos for them.

Than take a look at Allen Ulbricht, he got his job from UTube. EarthLink hired him as a Senior Project Manager. And his video resume was full of humor. He introduces himself as a “Job Applicant” the same way an alcohol anonymous person would introduce themselves.

Mona Lattouf couldn’t find a job after recently graduating. She decided to get creative and make a two minute video. She talked about highlights on her resume and answered common interview questions. She sent her video to a hiring manager, and shortly she got an interview. She landed a job as a junior accountant.

When you Google “video resume,” more cautionary websites show up, than positive ones. But when you really dig you find a lot of success stories. I think video resumes are a great way to make yourself pop, and get employers attention. As long as you stick to the facts and don’t make a fool of yourself, it can do nothing but help you.

So throw caution into the wind and make your own video resume. It’s cheap and convenient now that most computers come with webcams and software.

July 25, 2007

People are into online recruitment these days as it does not eat up the whole time and above all it could be done sitting right at home. The newspapers and radio is becoming outdated as people are more into the present status of internet job search. It is more dependable and you can apply for more post at the same time. The most important necessity for online job search is the resume which has to be the best. Many of the companies fall for the resume which is attached which reflects your personality completely on it.

The resumes should be made in such a way that the other person is able to read it. The most reliable way of making up a resume is to use Microsoft Word as it is the easiest way and also the legible one. There are many websites or job centers which do not allow attaching the resume as such, so it has to be pasted or emailed without any difficulty. Microsoft Word helps you to do it at the easiest way.

People find searching for jobs online to be the fastest way of gaining employment. But this could be hectic in the absence of proper tools in hand. The most important and reliable tool is the resume which acts as the wedge for every opportunity. The most important thing that has to be kept in mind is the legibility of the resume so that the person on the other end is able to read it.

Resumes act to be the power for enrolling into any company and it is a necessity all the way down. Therefore, importance should be given to the resume, as well as any recruiting software involved, which is being made in your name. The valuable data has to be highlighted so that the person reading it would be satisfied as the entire work is made easy for him.

June 20, 2007

By law an employer cannot refuse to hire an individual due to their race, gender, cultural background, or religious beliefs. Diversity in the workplace is greatly encouraged. Nevertheless, certain forms of discrimination remain legal especially when pertaining to self expression.

There is currently no law protecting those with tattoos or piercings from being passed over by a company on the grounds of their physical appearance alone. Many individuals with such body modifications view them as art work or as a highly visible sign of an aspect of their personality. Still, many employers filling jobs see tattoos and piercing as distracting and unprofessional.

In many companies a potential employee with wonderful qualifications and an excellent interview will not be hired because of their visible body art. Sometimes this is due to preconceived notions of certain subcultures associated with such forms of expression. Other times, it is simply the fact that the person in charge of recruiting wants to maintain a certain level of professional dress.

When anyone with visible tattoos or piercings is in the process of readying themselves for a job interview, they would be wise to do some research into the company's culture, background, and goals. For example a company hiring construction workers may except the fact that their short-sleeved clad employees may have visible tattoos on their arms, where as an office based company might require the same individual to be clad in long sleeves at all times.

Certain industries, such as those involved in one way or another with the arts, are often more excepting of tattoos and piercings. It all depends on the company in question and sometimes on the style of the tattoo. Where as some companies may not be bothered by a small flower inked on to an ankle, they may not allow tattoos that are graphic or sexual in nature. If one does not know how a company may feel about decorative ink, it is better to be safe and cover it up, rather than regret it latter as they continue to scan the classifieds.

If an individual is against covering their body art, feeling that is hiding part of who they are, they might be better of working at a company that is less conservative.

For those who do not mind hiding their tattoos during the background check process, keeping several things in mind as they plan their clothing for a job interview may help them. If one has a tattoo on their leg or ankle, long pants might be better for an interview than a skirt or shorts. Long sleeves are best for those with artwork on their arms. One might also want to consider removing their piercings or replacing them with clear bars.

For individuals with less easily hidden tattoos, drawing attention away from their artwork is suggested. For example, if one has a tattoo on the back of their hand, they may want to practice gestures that make it less obvious. The point is to allow their prospective employer to get to know them before they notice their artwork.

This is especially important during the interview process as first impressions are made within the first five minutes of meeting an individual. This way, if the tattoo is noticed at a later time, the person in charge of hiring is more likely to judge the employee based on who they are and not by any preconceived notions they have about individuals with body art.

January 03, 2007

Women and other minorities continue to bump their heads on the glass ceiling and corporate America relocates to foreign destinations in hopes of lowering costs of human capital. It seems safe to suggest that there is a greater workplace diversity. Cultural diversity being a new issue and challenge such movements create. The globalization brings with it new frontiers, new cultural obligations and especially new market shares if handled properly by humans in influential positions.

Yet, just as Karl Marx suggested, in his economic writings many years ago, conflict arises from human interaction in the "process of production"(when humans work together). In essence, humans can't always get along nor appreciate differences one to another. Sad but true. It's clear, then, this is not a new problem but instead one that has lingered since humans began working together. What's new is the way or ways which companies are now dealing with the humans.

Historically speaking sexual harassment was the challenge when women began working alongside men. Racial bias when African Americans joined white workers in similar roles. In respect to women, no one noticed a problem had developed until mounting legal fees turned into courtroom drama and aggressive background checks as women forced change in the customary practices of the workplace. Following closely behind the litigation was governmental legislation and mandated hiring and recruiting practices. These new laws quickly began being enforced and companies were forced to implement new policy in respect to the standards with which women could and would be treated by male counterparts in the work place. We've come a long way baby! Yet, if the war in Iraq is an indicator of things to come in the future, women still have not reached full potential or equality on a global scale.

The same can be said to be true of affirmative action and the African American workers. Martin Luther King, Jr. may have had a dream but in reality there is still a long road to march until all people are treated equal. Of course, racial divide has given way to greater diversity and affirmative action has improved the numbers of African Americans in the workforce just as sexual harassment complaints gave way to gender sensitivity training and better working conditions for females in all types of jobs. All issues have improved corporate awareness and an interest in the plight of workers have brought forth improvements in training applications thereby addressing problems before they escalate into global concerns.

Yet, regardless of where a company is situated around the globe what matters most is the bottom line. Whether it is the yen, euro or dollar; a multi-national corporation will always base its actions, policies and practices on profits. It's easy to suggest then that concern for the worker is just another way of improving profit margins. If this be true, then, cultural diversity is not simply a promoting of human awareness, appreciation and cooperation in the workplace but instead just another way in which companies can exploit human capital and translate this exploitation into profits.

March 08, 2006

Rumor has it that Monster is quietly testing a system where employers pay-per-resume every time a record is clicked via a search of their resume database.

If anyone knows anything about this or has access to screenshots, feel free to contact me at joel@hrseo.com.

Although unsubstantiated, such a system makes sense. It would play right into Monster's strengths vs. the commoditization of job content that is Google, Craigslist and others: Their resume database (and traffic).

By trading job posting revenue for a pay-per-click resume database strategy, they'll certainly buy themselves some time fending off the inevitable future of low-cost and free.

March 07, 2006

I received the following message via e-mail this week from a job board employee.

The name and site are not revealed to protect the innocent:

I have now reached a point
where we are receiving a large amount of visits from search engines but
I am in constant need of business arguments to continue with the growth
in SEO activity; I know you have worked in the industry for many years
and have a great eye on the market, I would greatly appreciate some
external advice on how SEO fits into the future of job boards and how
the online recruitment industry is growing.

Obviously there are some negative things happening within the market which we can not control, such as, Google Base, MSN's Live Expo and other classifieds - but the one thing I have learned about SEO is, its all about educating the marketing not so much the knowledge you have.

First, I love how they're "receiving a large amount of visits from search engines" yet this author still has to defend search marketing at his organization. Without knowing a ton about his site or its past energies around search, here was my answer:

1. Metrics. Numbers don't lie. Hopefully you can gather sufficient metrics from your site that indicate the true monetary value of what you're doing. In my experience, search is by far the biggest bang for a job site's buck.

2. New opportunities. With vertical search, we're entering a whole new world of optimization. Things will slowly migrate from optimizing for web search, to optimizing for vertical search. In other words, sites will begin to try to learn to out-optimize each others listings, in addition to web pages/sites.

3. All roads lead to search. If you read my blog regularly, you know how much I believe in search and its future impact on marketing. Companies who fail to stay in tune with the advances of search are bound to be left behind.

4. Competition. Your competition is on your tail. Always. Stay one step ahead or get smacked.

I'm sure I'm biased, but I can't imagine any website, let alone a job site, having to justify search as a means to focus on for visitors.

However, as this letter represents, it apparently happens. If you're facing a similar battle at your own organization, hopefully some of my feedback will benefit more than just this one reader.